Bath salts



Patented June 22, 1937 UNITED sTATEs sEsT AVAiLAEiLE cot.

BATH SALTS Philip Stoughton, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application May 23, 1934, Serial No. 727,168

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in bath salts and especially to a new bath salt having'novel characteristics with respect to its color and the color that itimparts tothe bath.

5 Bath salts are often colored but seldom impart any appreciable color to the water in which they are dissolved. One reason for this is that a considerable amount of coloring material is neces sary to color the water and if such a quantity 10 is incorporated in the bath salt it becomes deeply colored and unattractive. Since the reasons for using bath salts are largely esthetic, anything, such as poor appearance, that detracts from the esthetic effect is, of necessity, studiously avoided.

15 Furthermore, the dye oftenimparts its color to the tub, towels, wash cloths and even the body of the bather, causing stains which utterly preclude its use.

The present invention has been devised to provide a new bath salt in which these difficulties are overcome. terial which thoroughly colors the water in which the material is dissolved, but which does not color the bath salt, or else colors the bath salt a dif- 5 ferent color or shade from that imparted to the water. culty of overcolored bath salts, the new salt provides a color in the bath which may be so different from the color of the saltitself as to cause a very impressive surprise to the user. For example, the salt may be white and color of the bath pink, or the salt may be pink and color of the bath yellow or lavender.

. In addition to the aforementioned advantages,

35 the new salt is also highly desirable because the colored bath water does not tend to stain the skin, towels, bath mats and the like. Using the preferred coloring material, the color actually disappears from the bath water that is left upon 40 the skin because of the skins natural acidity.

There are several satisfactory methods by which the new salt may be manufactured, a large group of coloring materials that may be used and a wide variation possible in the kind and quan- 5 tity of other ingredients incorporated. However, one particular coloring material has been found especially well adapted to use and a formula and method of compounding devised to utilize this material to the best advantage. That specific 50 embodiment of the invention will, therefore, be described in detail both to furnish an example of the general principles involved and as a description of a specific product to the production of which this invention is directed.

55 The coloring material especially adapted to use The new salt contains a coloring ma- Thus in addition to obviating the diifiiis an organic dye known as phenolphthalein; This material is usually sold as a white powder.

When dissolved in an acid or neutral solution it is colorless, but in an alkaline solution it undergoes a structural change and colors the solution 5 pink, the depth of the color depending upon the quantity present and the alkalinity of the solution. I

Such a coloring material may conceivably be incorporated in an acid or neutral bath salt and remain colorless until dissolved in bath water that is alkaline, whereupon the salt will exhibit a pink color throughout the entire bath. However, it is ordinarily desirable to use alkaline bath salts and this may be done providing only that the phenolphthalein and other ingredients are mixed in powdered or crystal form rather than dissolved and crystallized together.

In the preferred formula phenolphthalein, sodium sesqui carbonate and perfume are used in following proportions:

Sodium sesqui carbonate lbs 10 Phenolphthalein oz Perfume Another satisfactory formula is:

Sodium sesqui carbonate lbs 9%; Sodium carbonate lb Phenolphthalein oz Perfume The ingredients of these formulas are mixed in a dry state so as to retain the white color of the phenolphthalein powder. Trisodium phosphate and other salts may be added to the product or substituted for sodium sesqui carbonate. Sodium bicarbonate and the phenolphthalein may be dissolved and crystallized together, but if the more alkaline sodium carbonate is present only mixing produces a white bath salt since the phenolphthalein will turn pink if placed in Solution with the sodium carbonate. In addition to the ingredients mentioned, others may be added, for example, a, small amount of a secondary coloring material acting to tint' the salt. Ordinarily such coloring material has no appreciable effect upon the color of the bath but it may modify the color imparted to the bath by the primary coloring material.

Other coloring materials having the ability to become colored or change color when dissolved in the water of the bath may be used instead of phenolphthalein or in addition thereto. Methyl orange, phenol red, .thymol blue, alazarin yellow and methyl violet are examples of such materi- SEST AVAILABLE als and many others may easily be found. Their use and the selection, combining and proportioning of materials which will produce the desired color and shade in the salt and in the bath are within the scope of this invention. Furthermore, the use of the compositions herein described in swimming pools, fish bowls and other places where colored water may be desirable is contemplated by the invention.

The present application is a Continuation in part of my copending application Serial Number 574,929, filed November 13, 1931.

I claim:

1. An alkaline bath salt including a small amount of phenolphthalein in its colorless state.

2. An alkaline bath salt containing around ounce of phenolphthalein to 10 pounds of the other ingredients, said phenolphthalein being present in its colorless state.

3. A bath salt of approximately the following formula:

Sodium sesqui carbonate lbs 10 Phenolphthalein in its colorless state oz A; Perfume 4. A bath salt of approximately the following formula:

Sodium sesqui carbonate lbs. 10 Sodium carbonate lb Phenolphthalein in its colorless state oz Perfume 5. A bath salt including as one of its ingredients a coloring material of the type ordinarily known as chemical indicators, the said material being present in the bath salt in a state that will be changed by contact with an alkaline liquid so as to impart to the liquid a color different from the original color, if any, of the coloring material in the bath salt.

6. A bath salt including as one of its ingredients a coloring material of the type ordinarily known as chemical indicators, the said material being present in the bath salt in a state that will be changed by contact with an alkaline liquid so as to impart to the liquid a color different from the original color, ii any, of the coloring material in bath salt and a second coloring material for imparting a. color to the composition itself.

7. A bath salt including as one of its ingredients a quantity of phenolphthalein, said phenolphthalein being present in its colorless state in the bath salt whereby it will be changed by contact with an alkaline liquid to impart to the liquid a color different from that of the bath salt.

8. A bath salt including as one of its ingredients a coloring material of the type ordinarily known as chemical indicators, the said material being present in the bath salt in a colorless state that will be changed by contact with an alkaline liquid to impart a color thereto.

PHILIP STOUGHTON. 

